Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has hinted that he may rest key players in midweek to keep them fresh for Saturday’s relegation six-pointer against out-of-form Newcastle United.

Leicester take on champions-elect Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday with Jose Mourinho’s side just two wins away from winning the title.

And Pearson has refused to rule out prioritising Saturday’s high-noon kick-off in the East Midlands – and picking a team to match.

“My focus is Leicester City, we will always do what is best for us,” Pearson said.

“If we need to freshen it up, we will. [David] Nugent is injured, [Jeff] Schlupp is injured, Vardy had an injection in his foot just before the game. We will assess it.

United are still in control of their own fate but with four games to go, the season can’t end soon enough.

Leicester sniff blood and with four wins on the spin, Pearson says belief is high for the Foxes.

He said: “All we are interested in is that our fate is now in our hands and the longer we can keep that, the better the chance we have of surviving. All I’m interested in is keeping our players focused on winning games.

“It is about the players believing. You have to back your own ability. You can draw [great escape] parallels but it is all about the players you have.”